


Lessons from a Life Together

by lodgedinmythoughts



Series: Lessons with Lokane [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - All Human, Dad!Loki, Domesticity, Epilogue, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Jane and Loki's Family, Mom!Jane, wedding anniversary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-23 05:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21315022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lodgedinmythoughts/pseuds/lodgedinmythoughts
Summary: Jane, Loki, and their family, twenty years down the road.
Relationships: Jane Foster/Loki
Series: Lessons with Lokane [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1013484
Comments: 16
Kudos: 40





	Lessons from a Life Together

**Author's Note:**

> The final installment of the Lessons with Lokane series.

“—you serious, Roscoe? As if there’s no paper anywhere else in this house!”

“It was an accident! Chill out!”

“Are you blind? Did you not see the words typed right in front in big freaking caps?”

“I told you, it was an accident! It’s not like I did it on purpose!”

Jane flew in through the front door and was immediately greeted by the overlapping shouts of her children. Absently dropping her briefcase by the coat hanger, she flung off her coat, checked her watch, and ventured further into the house, out of breath from her haste to get home on time.

“Kids? Loki? What’s going on?”

Roscoe suddenly rounded the corner from the kitchen with a bag of chips in hand, nearly running right into Jane. Astrid was hot on his heels.

“What are you fighting about now?” Jane supplied them with an authoritative, albeit slightly exasperated, look.

“Astrid’s just freaking out like she always does ’cause I did something wrong _again_.” Roscoe rolled his eyes, while Astrid’s glimmered with indignation.

“He never pays attention to anything, mom. He wrote all over my script and then spilled soda all over it.” She held up the mottled brown script of the play her school was putting on later in the fall.

“You always exaggerate! It wasn’t all over the script. It was just a few pages!” Roscoe countered.

“Yeah, the ones at the beginning, which is where all my hardest lines are!”

Jane rubbed her forehead tiredly. “Roscoe, did you not see when you picked it up that it was your sister’s script?”

“I wasn’t looking! I was watching a raid online and needed to write down some tips and grabbed the first thing I saw. God, why does everyone always take her side?” He whirled around in a huff and walked off.

“No one’s taking sides, honey, I’m just asking. Ros. Ros!” Jane watched her son stomp up the stairs and gave a weary sigh.

“The words are all faded now, mom. I can barely read them.”

At Astrid’s voice, Jane redirected her attention. “You know it was an accident, honey. Don’t be so hard on your brother.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t need to grab my script just to write down some stupid tips for his stupid video games.”

“Let me see.” Jane held out her hand and studied the pages. Many of the words where the soda had settled were indeed hard to make out. “I’m sure you can just ask for a replacement, right?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to be _that_ person, mom.”

“Listen, better to be that person than the person who doesn’t have a script at all.” She handed the script back. “Where’s your father?”

“Out back, I think. Doing some yard work or something, I don’t know.”

“He didn’t seem upset that I was running late, did he?”

“I don’t think so. We still have a little time before we have to leave. But it’s not like he hasn’t noticed. You’re almost worse than Roscoe, mom.”

“Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don’t know.” Jane herded Astrid toward the kitchen where she promptly plucked out sandwich supplies from the refrigerator before going to work on a quick meal. “You all packed?”

Astrid settled into one of the stools at the island counter and groaned. “Yes, but I don’t know why you’re making us stay with Uncle Thor for the whole weekend. I’m sixteen. Emmaline’s parents let her stay alone for a whole week sometimes when they’re away on business.”

“Well, I’m not Emmaline’s parents. I’m not comfortable leaving you and Ros all alone for three days. And you love your Uncle Thor. You know he hasn’t seen you guys in a while.”

“Yeah, I know, but I just want a little space to myself for once.”

Jane arched an eyebrow. “For once? You’ve got plenty of space to yourself.”

“No, I mean, like, _all_ to myself. I can’t wait ’til college.” She groaned dramatically and sprawled the top half of her body out on the countertop.

“Well, I highly doubt college is the place you go to when you want space _all_ to yourself. And be careful what you wish for. When you’re older, all you very well might be wishing for is to be young and carefree again. Enjoy these years with us while they last, sweetie. Your family won’t be around forever,” Jane reminded her gently.

Looking contrite, Astrid pursed her lips and cast her gaze down but didn’t say anything.

“Could you go get your dad? Tell him I’m home?” Jane asked around a bite of her sandwich.

Astrid slid off the stool without complaint and disappeared to fetch her father.

A short while later, she reappeared with Loki’s tall and perpetually lean figure following at her back. He wore a crisp white button-up with the sleeves rolled up and dark navy slacks, and his wavy black hair, only mildly the color of salt and pepper, was swept back and reached the nape of his neck.

“Only you would do yard work in your best business casual wear,” Jane said as Astrid retook her seat and Loki approached her.

“Best? Hardly.” Grasping her hip with one hand, Loki leaned down as if to kiss her, then paused when they were nose to nose to fix her with a stern look. “You’re late.” He swooped in for a quick kiss.

“Not according to our daughter,” she said with amusement as she swiped at the small drop of mayonnaise she’d left at the corner of his mouth. “And she’s pretty smart, so I think I’ll stick with her on this one.”

Loki raised an eyebrow at his daughter.

Astrid shrugged. “Technically, she isn’t late.”

“And technically, I believe I told you to be finished packing by the time she arrived. Are you?”

“Yes, dad,” she answered in the long-suffering manner only teenagers could.

Loki glanced at his watch. “Roscoe! Gather your things and get down here; it’s nearly time to go!”

Ten minutes later, the whole family was out the front door and piling into the car before arriving at the train station.

“You want us to come in with you?” Jane asked from the passenger seat.

“Nah, we’re good,” Astrid said from the other side of the rolled down window as she casually threw her bag over one shoulder. Roscoe loitered somewhere behind her. “Don’t wreak too much havoc this weekend, kids.”

“Hilarious,” Jane said.

“That, darling, is a promise I’m afraid we can’t keep,” Loki added from the driver’s seat.

“Okay. Off you go, then. Don’t forget to let us know when you’ve made it,” Jane said.

Astrid did a tiny salute and tossed them a small smile. “Happy anniversary.”

After more goodbyes, Astrid and Roscoe disappeared into the building and Jane and Loki were off to their seaside cottage for the long weekend, catching up on their respective days at MIT and Harvard as they drove.

They arrived well after dark and settled in before packing a picnic basket and heading for the beach.

The night was crisp and clear. The moon glistened high up in the night sky and the waves beat against each other and flooded the shore with their established, ancient rhythm.

After laying a blanket out on the sand, Loki and Jane wrapped another around their shoulders to ward off the autumn chill and huddled next to each other as they chatted quietly to themselves, indulging in small bites of fruit and sips of champagne.

The stars were alight with life and Jane was eager to point out the different constellations. When she came back down to earth, she found Loki watching her, a calm wonder in his eyes, so familiar to her after all those years.

“What?” she asked.

“You,” he answered simply and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips.

They ended up on their backs, the blanket draped over them as they breathed in the ocean air. Jane rested her cheek against Loki’s chest, taking comfort in his strong and steady heartbeat.

She breathed in deeply, feeling like she had all the time in the world. “Happy day-of-being-wed-to-me,” she murmured contentedly.

A deep chuckle reverberated through his chest, warming her from head to toe. “And I believe congratulations are in order for you for enduring the task of being my wife for the whole of twenty years.”

“Yes, such a thankless task. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She placed a quick kiss on his clothed chest before resettling. Her eyes drifted shut. “I love you.”

There was a discernible moment of stillness, and then Loki was shifting from his supine position to hover over her, body heat shielding her from the cold. His warm hand caressed the covered skin of her arm, his eyes shining fiercely in the starlight.

“Love is too simple a notion for the intensity with which I burn for you, Jane. The luminosity of all the stars in the cosmos, past, present, and future, could not compare to the depths of how I burn for you. How I’ve always burned for you. And when the very last star is extinguished from existence and the universe surrenders to darkness, the force of my flame will remain. You are my sun.” He placed a gentle kiss on her eyelids. “My moon.” The tip of her nose. “And every celestial wonder in between.” Then, her lips. “Jane.”

She cupped his cheek, smiled, and it was one of quiet, sublime joy. “My husband, the poet.”

They returned to their previous position, fingers entangled and dancing idly with each other atop his chest. The gold of his wedding band, gleaming when the moonlight caught it just right, matched that of its twin that found its home on her left hand.

All was quiet and the world was asleep, but underneath the autumn moon in their tiny corner of the cosmos, two hearts thrummed as one, more alive than ever.

She nestled further into his chest, eyes falling shut, and in that moment, the peace rolling over her in waves, the wholeness she felt with every fiber of her being, was beyond scientific understanding or rational thought. It was the truth lodged in every cavity, every recess of her body, mind, and spirit that made up who she was.

Up above, the stars shone brightly, dignified and distant, offering sanctuary and guidance for all those lost below.

But she would have no need for them that night.

She’d already made it home.

**Author's Note:**

> *lets out a breath* I can't believe I finished it. It's short but it conveys everything I wanted it to. I'm honestly unsure if anyone even remembers this and was waiting for it, but I wanted to finish this for myself and for anyone who's still interested. I can't believe it's over now. Sincere thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed the series as much as I enjoyed writing it, and for being so patient!
> 
> Although, I must add that now that Jane's back in the MCU, it does severely tear at my heart that we still won't even get that smidge of hope that she and Loki might cross paths again one day...at least, not prime-timeline Loki...


End file.
